10 Ways of Getting Kids Excited To Exercise

10 Ways of Getting Kids Excited To Exercise

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Posted 2013-02-12 by anonymousfollow
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Got children who just do not want to go out and get any physical activity at all? Well here are some fun ways to get the kids active during the week.

1) Walking to and from school: if you live close to the school, ditch the car or the carpools and walk there. It's a great way to start the day and the kids will get the hang of it as well. Meet the kids at the gate at the end of the day and walk back, at least it'll give them about 20 minutes of exercise for the day.

2) Make obstacle courses outside: if you have kids that used to once love jumping, tumbling and running around but are now too obsessed with playing with their games and gadgets, set up an obstacle course outside, get them to jump over things, climb under things and make decisions, sort of a little maze. I used to play this with my cousins and it was always really fun.

3) Tag: nobody is too old for tag, choose who is "it" and then run around in the yard and play tag. All kids love playing this, works well if there is a small group of about four.

4) Play games on the trampoline: play poison ball or crack the egg (one child wraps their arms around their legs and has to lie down while the others have to bounce to get the child to crack) even just 15 minutes of these types of activity a day will get your child to become healthier.

5) Walk the dog: got a dog, or know someone who has one? Get the kids into a routine of taking the dog for walks at least 3-4 times a week as dogs do need walking. Even let the dog off its leash if it a well trained dog and let the kids throw a Frisbee around with it or a tennis ball for half an hour

6) Park: All kids love playing at the park, pay a visit at least once a week or fortnight. Let the kids run wild and have fun, they can use up a lot of energy at the park so it will make them tired and ready for a sleep. I once took my brother when he was younger to the park about an hour before bedtime, he tired himself out and didn't put up a fight when mum said he had to go to bed, now that is a win.

7) Water fights: If you have water guns (or you can buy them cheap at a two dollar store) fill them up and then run around the yard in bathers having a fun water fight. Have a set amount of times everyone can refill their guns due to water restrictions, and make sure you have a code word (preferably stop) for when someone doesn't want to be sprayed for a particular reason. Don't aim for the eyes, and run in an area that won't result in slipping and hurting oneself.

8) Dance or do aerobics: Kids love to dance when they are young, and if they do it often enough they shouldn't be shy to do it when they get older. Play some happy music, even if its the radio hits of kid songs and let the kids have a mini disco. You can also shake it up and have an aerobics session where you do jumping jacks and star jumps and twirls and the kids copy, and then let them run a session. They'll have a great time with this activity

9) Play the Wii: and not sitting down either, play a game such as Wii Sports, where you have to move your arms a lot. Don't use this activity as your main use of exercise for the kids because they'll become lazy and try to make excuses and play other games that don't require much movement (my brother tried to convince my dad that the Transformers game would help him with exercise, it didn't. He ended up sitting on the couch playing it), Every once in a while this activity is good, particularly if it's raining outside or you're busy.

10) Get them to take up a sport - ballet, soccer, football, tennis, rugby, netball, anything the kids are interested in, get them to try it out. My siblings and cousins tried so many different sports until they eventually found the right one for them. It gets them out of the house and get plenty of exercise. My brothers have tried tennis, cricket, swimming and football, my sister used to do circus school every Saturday morning and now she has settled on dance lessons. If you can't afford lessons, then teach them at home how to play a sport or get a family member who is willing to help.

All these ideas have been tested and they do work. The only reason why they wouldn't is if you give in to your child when they say they don't want to, or they don't spend enough time doing the exercise. Make it fun, don't tell them its exercise but remind them that to be healthy its important to get physical activity. Children that are born into playing games and gadgets every day will definitely not appreciate having to leave that and start exercising. My siblings do like their technology, however they also love getting physical activity every day.

Good luck.

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90332 - 2023-06-11 08:20:06

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